Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Hello! My name is Dave. I’ve been living abroad and teaching English for the past 20 years or so. I went to Brazil for a year of volunteer work where I fell in love, got married, and am now living my happily ever after with our two beautiful daughters.
I use stories to engage my English students to help there increase their vocabulary and improve their pronunciation so they can reduce their accent which are the two main challenges they face.
So, publishing these stories just seemed to be a natural step. We’ve been creating stories for over twenty years in the classroom. But this is my first year of actually publishing any.
I’ve made four stories available already on Amazon. I also have several others that I’m currently writing.
They are mostly science fiction and fantasy books. So it’s a lot of fun to write them.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My First Death: The Coming of Age of Smoky Swallow
I actually wrote this to enter a competition. It was supposed to be a short story of about 3,000 words. But it ended up being over ten times that long. So, I just went ahead and published it.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I don’t think so. I write like most of my other writer friends.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
I grew up reading the Hardy Boys and westerns by Louis L’amour. I love action, thrillers, and sci-fi in general. I also read a lot of epic fantasy stories. So, they probably all play into my creative wells where my imagination draws from.
What are you working on now?
I’m currently planning a series of short stories based on Vikings, Elves, and Orcs with a few dragons thrown in for good measure.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I’m publishing mostly on Amazon right now. I have on book that is on other platforms as well. But right now, I’m focusing on Amazon because it’s easy to focus on one thing at a time. Once I nail the process down, I plan to expand out to other websites.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Planning can be an excuse to not write. I spent five years planning my story before I actually sat down to write. Now, that I’ve done it, I realize that I was just procrastinating and using planning to keep from getting over my perfectionism and fear of actually publishing something.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
Write the next book.
What are you reading now?
Two series by Mark Dawson.
White Devil in the Beatrix Rose series
The Cleaner in the John Milton series
What’s next for you as a writer?
I’m just gonna keep on writing while I continue learning and trying to improve so I can get better at telling amazing stories for others to read.
If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
Only 4? What? I’d need at least 4,000…
Author Websites and Profiles
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